So I've heard to reduce agreesiveness of cichlids it is possible to overstock them in your tank. Is this true? They say that African cichlids from Malawi are crowded in their lake anyway so it's okay. And apparently by overstocking it makes it so no territories can be formed or something like that. Anyone had experience with this? And how do you know you're not overstocking enough or overstocking too much?
Overstocking Cichlids
- Thread starter KiemRaekerm
- Start date
Things are different in the wild & in the aquaria. In the wild the volume of water is far more huge when compared to aquariums.
"Over-stocking reduces aggression" could be true! Basically cichlids are agressive to guard & hold their territories. So with no territory to guard there's no purpose for them to be aggresive.
Most of LFS go by this. No territories & Over-Stocking! Reverse to what most hobbyists do. This could be possible if & only if certain criteria are taken into account. Firstly u need a very efficient filtration. Secondly a very frequent water change is reqd. And then enough aeration has to made to balace with the 1 fish/gallon rule.
"Over-stocking reduces aggression" could be true! Basically cichlids are agressive to guard & hold their territories. So with no territory to guard there's no purpose for them to be aggresive.
Most of LFS go by this. No territories & Over-Stocking! Reverse to what most hobbyists do. This could be possible if & only if certain criteria are taken into account. Firstly u need a very efficient filtration. Secondly a very frequent water change is reqd. And then enough aeration has to made to balace with the 1 fish/gallon rule.
Plenty of people overstock to reduce aggression and it works well if the following is true.
Fish must be aggressive, but not tied to specific point of territory. So it works well for mbuna or Tropheus which aren't too tied to a particular rock, cave, whatever. It won't wok for S Americans, C Americans as they will guard a cave to the death, or close.
You must be able to keep water quality high. Period.
You must have a large enough tank. It also works by allowing fish to escape in the crowd. This won't happen in a small tank. it will still be in eyerange. 3 foot at the very, very minimum, 4 foot plus is better
Fish must be aggressive, but not tied to specific point of territory. So it works well for mbuna or Tropheus which aren't too tied to a particular rock, cave, whatever. It won't wok for S Americans, C Americans as they will guard a cave to the death, or close.
You must be able to keep water quality high. Period.
You must have a large enough tank. It also works by allowing fish to escape in the crowd. This won't happen in a small tank. it will still be in eyerange. 3 foot at the very, very minimum, 4 foot plus is better
Wouldn't it be true to say that it doesn't reduce aggression at all but minimises the effects of aggressive behaviour? By overstocking the aggressor can lose sight of his subject quickly and this prevents him from picking on the same individual and over-stressing that fish. Territories are still being created but can be plastic in that there's near constant invading and repelling. After a while the "Dear Enemy" phenomenon kicks in whereby aggression is reduced once the fish become familiar with their tankmates.
I'd agree with wayne's points especially where he mentions that overstocking requires overfiltering and with cichlidian re the need for extra oxygenation if you exceed the stocking rules (inch per fish is pants where cichlids are concerned). I'd maybe suggest 4ft is the minimum though.
I'd agree with wayne's points especially where he mentions that overstocking requires overfiltering and with cichlidian re the need for extra oxygenation if you exceed the stocking rules (inch per fish is pants where cichlids are concerned). I'd maybe suggest 4ft is the minimum though.
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